Never Say Never
by mphs95
Summary: Takes place during Season 5's "Call Me Fran". What would have happened if he didn't call her "Fran" before walking out that door. Can Maxwell win back the woman he loves from his own worst enemy...his emotional walls?


_**I heard this song and the only image that came to mind was Season 5 of "The Nanny". Max letting his walls come down was like Manna from heaven and I had to get this story down before I went nuts. Hope you enjoy it. Reviews are appreciated and welcome.**_

Fran sits on the bench in Central Park, crying. The events of the last few days had finally taken their toll on her. First, her father bailed on their basketball game. Then after her breakthrough of chasing emotionally unavailable men, after telling Mr. Sheffield to change, he continued to keep his distance from her. What made the dam break was when she threatened to leave the Sheffields'. She could tell Max wanted to tell her how he felt, but in the end, while he offered her a raise and more paid vacation, he didn't offer the one thing she needed…his love.

His voice calling to her "Miss Fine, wait-" as she slammed the door to the townhouse behind her continued to reverberate through her mind as she sat on the park bench. As much as she wanted to turn to Maxwell, she knew she had to walk away and save herself. Enough was enough, but it didn't make her feel any better as she continued to cry her heart out.

Max sat in his office in the dark, his eyes were red and swollen from the tears of pain he cried. When he looked up, he saw Fran sitting on the corner of his desk, smiling at him. He moved to put his hand on her leg, but as he reached her, she disappeared.

He played with his wedding ring as he silently continued to sort out his thoughts. "God, I think I really blew it this time. I've lost her"

He got up and began to pace the room while trying to hold back tears. "First, you take Sara from me. Then Miss Fine comes into our lives…..my life like a tornado. She messes up my business deals…she shops at Loehman's more often on my dime than not…she has a voice like a Queens foghorn…her mother eats me out of bloody house and home!"

Then his voice softens. "She made my children smile again…she brought warmth into our home…Niles even works more…."

He rubs his face with his hands in frustration. "Oh God….what do I do? I promised Sara I wouldn't be with another. I don't want to betray her…..but if I lose Miss Fine…..Fran….we will….I will lose the one person who put light back into our lives. What do I do? Give me a sign, please!"

Suddenly, a gust of wind blows into the study. Papers are blown across the room and a picture blows across the room, hits the wall, and lands on the floor. Curiously, the other picture, one of Maggie, Brighton, and Grace remains undisturbed on the desk.

As quickly as the wind came in, it left, leaving a small mess in its wake on the floor. After Maxwell recovers his faculties, he gets up to clean up the mess. He walks over to the picture that fell on the floor…..his picture of Sara. The glass is shattered and the back of the frame is broken.

"Oh God, Sara" A few tears come down his face, but suddenly a haunting piano tune from outside comes through the patio doors. A few seconds later, words are heard.

**_Some things we don't talk about  
better do without  
just hold a smile_**

**_we're falling in and out of love  
the same damn problem_**

**_together all the while_**

**_you can never say never  
why we don't know when  
time and time again  
younger now then we were before_**

Suddenly, Maxwell's eyes grow wide, but he then relaxes as it seems as a burden has been lifted off of his shoulders. He walks to his desk, opens a drawer, and puts Sara's picture in it. He caresses the broken image carefully with his finger, then slowly removes his wedding ring and puts it gingerly on top of the picture.

**_don't let me go,  
don't let me go,  
don't let me go, _**

A loud rumble of thunder knocks Maxwell out of his thoughts. He turns and sees that the rain has begun to come down in sheets. Knowing what he had to do, he ran out of his office, almost running over Niles, who was unable to get out of the way in time of his eavesdropping. Barely stopping to get his coat, he runs out and heads to the place he knows he can find Fran, the words to the song he heard reverberating in his head…

**_don't let me go,  
don't let me go,  
don't let me go_**

"Please don't let me be too late!" Max said to himself as he ran into the downpour, not feeling the rain soak him to the skin.

Fran continues to sit on her park bench, her tears finally spent, leaving her feeling very hollow. She knew her mother was very upset with her, but she no longer cared. She also knew that Mr. Sheffield would be angry with her, but she couldn't afford to care for his feelings anymore. She was sad for what could have been, but what devastated her more was leaving her kids behind.

"I may have officially been their nanny, but those kids are mine in every way except for blood."

She continued to sit, a hollow shell, not even hearing the thunder overhead. It wasn't until she felt herself getting drenched did she come back to reality. She knew she should go find shelter, but something was stopping her. She couldn't feel the rain any longer as she got up and started to walk in the rain.

Max ran into the entrance of Central Park, heading past the zoo towards Strawberry Fields, desperate to find Fran as he ran through the rain. Incredibly, the song continued to play in his head, giving him impetus to continue to move to his goal.

**_Picture, you're the queen of everything  
as far as the eye can see  
under your command  
I will be your guardian  
when all is crumbling  
steady your hand_**

**_You can never say never  
why we don't know when  
time, time and time again  
younger now then we were before_**

Don't let me go  
Don't let me go  
Don't let me go

Suddenly, he sees a woman dripping wet walking away from a bench. The hair was stick straight and sticking to her head, but he knew that bright orange coat and white boots anywhere. "Miss Fine!"

Fran instinctively knew that voice and turned around. Seeing the object of her misery, she simply shook her head back and forth before turning around and continuing to walk away.

"Miss Fine!" Max chased her as Fran continued to walk away. "Woman….we're turning into drowned rats! Stop!"

Max almost caught up to her when he slammed into a trash can and almost fell, but continued to run. Fran walked faster as tears began to fall down her face, mixed with the rain falling on her, soaking her to the skin.

As she got to a bridge, she heard "Fran!" Startled at hearing her name and at who said it, she turned around.

Max ran to her, slightly limping with his right leg on his pants torn. He could feel the blood flow from his leg, but didn't care. All he heard was the beating of his heart along with the lyrics that inspired him.

**_We're pulling apart and coming together again and again  
We're growing apart but we pull it together, pull it together, together again_**

When he got to her, he grabbed her with both hands around her shoulders. "Oh God, Fran…I am so sorry. I was so scared of losing someone else that I loved. I thought I was betraying Sara, but I realize that I'm not. She would want me to go on"

Fran looked wary. She wanted to believe him so desperately, but is afraid to get her hopes up like she did with _The_ _Thing_. "I want to believe you. I just keeping giving and giving, but I'm to the point that I need you to give me something. I need to be able to have a life. I can't spend the rest of my life waiting for you to think of me as something other than 'Miss Fine'. I deserve better, Maxwell Sheffield!"

Max looked past the anger and saw the raw hurt in her eyes through the torrential downpour. The fact that he was the cause of it made his insides burn, but he knew what he had to do. "You do, Fran. Please let me be the one to give you that life you want. Let me give you my heart, my body, and my soul. Oh God, please don't leave. I love you. When you left earlier, it felt like my heart was being ripped out. The children will be devastated without you. I think I will honestly die if you are not with me…..Please!"

Fran stood stunned. '_He said 'I love you_!' But she knew she needed more. "That's not enough, Maxwell. You've told me that before!" She looked sad as she turned around again and began to walk away.

Max was crushed but knew he couldn't lose her. "Marry me, dammit!" When Fran stopped in her tracks, he ran and grabbed her shoulders, turning her around. "Marry me….. make love with me…make a life with me…be a grandmother with me….mess up more of my business deals….embarrass me in front of celebrities more…..have your mother continue to bloat up my food bill…"

Seeing her start to melt, Max held her in his arms and caressed her cheek gently. "Complete me, Francine Joy Fine. Be my wife"

Fran knew she lost this battle, but knew the war was won. "You betcha, Mister!" she replied as she grabbed Max and joined him in a time stopping kiss. The world around them ceased to exist as they became one, oblivious to the rain that continued to fall on them, the song Max heard playing from a nearby building…

**_Don't let me go,  
Don't let me go,  
Don't let me go,_**

**_Don't let me go,  
Don't let me go,  
Don't let me go_**

**The End**


End file.
